Night of the Predator
"Urp!"
With a light burp escaping Red Wing's mouth, a small flame flickered between her sharp teeth.
"Oh dear, that was a mistake!"
"Mistake my ass."
I chewed on the tough chicken breast and spat out a bone fragment with a ptui. "You said you'd rather die than eat it, but here you are, picking out all the tasty bits."
"Huh?"
"And it was free food."
"Ah, wait a sec! This body will buy next time!"
As I grumbled a bit, Red Wing's face flushed with panic, and she scurried over, circling around me in a frenzy.
Of course, me—Ban Sin-u. I'm not some petty guy who gets sulky over a few pieces of chicken.
"It's only natural you'll treat me once I get re-employed. Anyway, we've got work to do today, so let's wrap it up."
"Ehhh? Do what? This body's belly is full, and now I'm getting sleepy."
"It's not even 9 PM yet. Come on, follow me. It'll help with digestion too."
"W-wait! Where are we going?!"
I shoved the whining Red Wing's back and climbed up the basement stairs. Careful not to wake Si-yeon sleeping in her room, I slipped out the front door without a sound.
Cool night air brushed my cheek. I naturally sidled up to Red Wing, hopped up, and draped my arms around her neck in a piggyback.
"H-h-ha?! Now you're straight-up treating this body like your personal ride?!"
"The ride's pretty comfy. Five stars. Fly, sis!"
"Eeeek...! Fine, just this once since you fed this body chicken!"
She shrieked but unfurled her massive wings with practiced ease, scooping me up securely. A gust whipped up, and we shot into the sky in an instant.
After riding it a few times, I'd realized flight was an incredibly useful ability. No bus fare for commuting, huh? I was tempted to keep one Red Wing at home.
"So, where are we headed?"
"There. The pavilion in the mountains."
"Eek? Y-you're not gonna test me or something, are you?"
"Yep. Let's get it over with quick."
We arrived in one shot at the dilapidated pavilion... or rather, the small clearing where only traces remained. I crossed my arms, took a step back, and gave the signal.
"Alright, belly full. Time to transform. The site's decently wide, no one around to get hurt, so size up all you want."
"Th-that... Even just this body's aura might wreck the local ecosystem?"
"Tch, enough excuses."
Under my firm glare, Red Wing reluctantly clenched her fists and struck an awkward pose. Her face turned beet red, like it might burst, and her muscles began trembling all over.
"Gr... grrrraaah...!!"
I could feel an enormous surge of mana pouring from her body, enough to make the air vibrate. Dust from the ground swirled upward, and sleeping mountain birds panicked into flight. Crack! Branches snapped repeatedly—maybe a bear around?
I swallowed dryly, half-expecting a house-sized dragon to burst out.
Pfft!
"......"
"......"
A cute sound, and a puff of dirt rose near her butt.
"Smells."
"N-no! That was just nerves!! A-and it doesn't smell!!!"
Watching her flail her arms with a crimson face, waving off excuses, I was convinced. All that bluster about being a real dragon, but she couldn't even polymorph properly—a half-baked fake.
But something was off. The sheer volume of mana she'd just unleashed wasn't bluffing. She'd casually shattered that 3rd-grade barrier earlier too. The quality and quantity matched a 2nd-grade hero at minimum.
She's got the skills, just can't polymorph? Weird.
"What's your deal?"
"M-my... deal?"
At my suspicious question, Red Wing's wings trembled tensely. Without pause, I kicked a broken wood chunk and pressed.
"It's weird. You smashed a barrier that could tank 3rd-grade attacks like nothing, but can't do basic polymorph. You've got power, but I just met you today. I was a hero hopeful myself, so I know most of the grizzled vets and hyped rookies."
"Urgh... There's a long, long story behind it..."
"Hmm. Let's go one by one. Where's your hometown?"
"Huh? H-hometown?"
"Yeah. You're no Seoulite."
Red Wing fidgeted with her hands, avoiding my eyes, then cautiously spoke.
"......Hong Mountain, Taebaek Vein."
"Vein...?"
Mana, the mystical energy in the atmosphere, pools thickest in scenic mountains and rivers. Places far exceeding normal levels are called veins for their flow of potent mana.
Her abnormal mana and strength suddenly made sense.
"Hong Mountain? The one with the pretty fall leaves? Didn't know a vein reached that far. But from some remote backwater to Seoul? To be a hero?"
"Y-yeah! This body boldly came to the capital and even got a hero license!!"
In a shrinking voice, Red Wing recounted her path to heroism—a clichéd rookie tale. A powerhouse from the provinces heads to Seoul, breezes through licensing with overflowing mana and brute force, dreams of a flashy debut as a promising star.
But! Of all the timing! Her debut cohort included an industry disaster.
Lumion's rankings spared no rookies.
"So Lumion beat the crap out of you, and you spent a year twiddling thumbs in the peace gap. Never even fought a real villain post-debut."
"Y-yeah. She thrashed me. Total monster, that woman."
Unable to adapt to the peaceful era, she staggered to the Hero Employment Support Center and vented at me.
Thinking about it pissed me off. She came on her own, refusing to quit being a hero. That lingering attachment...
And one more incomprehensible thing.
"But I don't get it."
I crossed my arms, tilting my head. "Why come all the way to Seoul? Local licenses and gigs exist everywhere. Regional ties even give bonuses and mascot perks from municipalities."
No shortage of beasts or villains in the sticks. No reason to brave the cutthroat capital grind.
At my question, Red Wing's flapping wings slowly drooped. She curled them around herself protectively and squatted on the ground. Gone was her usual bravado—just a tiny, pathetic silhouette.
"......I wanted to find someone."
Her voice, aimed at the dirt, trembled faintly. "If I became Seoul's top hero, I'd be on TV every day, everyone watching me. Then... maybe I'd meet them."
She hugged her knees, head bowed. "Just wanted to let everyone in the country know I'm looking for you like this. Sorry. Been a pain for you, Sin-u. Sigh, what hero with polymorph like this? Right?"
I couldn't ask who. Red Wing, who'd puffed up her small frame before, shrank at the mere thought. Someone with that much sway and value to her.
I could only vaguely guess.
That instant, an indelible past flashed in my mind.
The helplessness of failing to protect someone precious, forced to watch them go powerlessly. Pity, or kinship—something stabbed at my chest.
"Get up. Ground's cold."
I approached silently and thrust out my hand before her crouched eyes. Her slit pupils widened in surprise, flicking between my face and palm.
"Who am I?"
Red Wing's lips quivered, then curved in a small smile as she reached out.
"Who're you, Sin-u?"
"Guy with the worst Euneng. But I can make you the top hero—for a day, at least?"
"Pfft, what?"
A bit downslope from the ruined pavilion, in thick midnight shadows. A man watched their every move without breathing.
He pulled a black communicator from his pocket. The intense mana residue from Red Wing's transformation attempt lit up the screen's gauge red.
Eyes fixed on the pair at the base, he reported in a low, dry voice over the mechanical chill from the device.
"Headquarters. Target confirmed."
"Far exceeds estimates. Could be the one we're after."
He paused, etching Red Wing's silhouette—wagging red tail as she stood—into his eyes.
"Awaiting orders."
"Understood. Continuing tail."
The man kept watching us. But that ends now.
"Red Wing. Fetch."
"Grrr!!"
Red Wing leaped from hiding, clamping the suspicious man's nape in her jaws.
"Gurk...! Wh-what?!"
The man's panicked eyes darted between us at the clearing and Red Wing gnawing his neck.
"Y-you tricksters!"
Realizing his watched targets were illusions, he quickly cupped his hands. A complex rune array glowed on his knuckles—pre-inscribed?
"Nope."
I beckoned Red Wing lightly. Her razor tail speared his mana-gathering hand with a squelch.
"Argh!!"
"Name, affiliation, reason for tailing us. Spill."
I snapped my fingers. Dozens of gleaming blades materialized above my head.
Of course, fakes. They couldn't stab or slice. But who cares? This creep tailing us secretly wouldn't know that.
"Fun interrogation time starts now."